07/12/2016 (4) - Laserfiche WebLink

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2. Do you have a current relationship with local school districts? If yes, please explain in a few short sentences. If not, please explain how you plan to develop these relationships. Yes a relationship with the local school district was created in 2015 in concert with the beginning of marine conservation presentations given to 5th graders in 6 of the 13 public elementary schools in the county. This presentation was aligned with the 5th grade adaptations curriculum and taught students about sea turtle and marine mammal biology, the difference between inherited and taught traits, and specific adaptations for sea turtle survival. These relationships were developed by first reaching out to individuals school principals and AP then through contact with the science teachers. Attached to this application is one of the teacher's emails sent to the Public Works Director raving about the presentation and its correlation with their state standards. Do you currently offer school programs? If yes, please explain and include grade levels, program information, and average amount of students you reach each year. As the answer to the previous question described, currently the IR Sea Turtle Program education team made up of multiple volunteers and one county staff member, gave presentations about marine conservation and adaptations to all 5th grade students at 6 schools in the county during the 15-16 school year, 2 of which were TITLE 1 schools. These were wildly successful and requests for visits the following school year were made by a teachers. Pre/Post tests were administered to students and are currently being graded and analyzed to answer the question "Was their any information learned during the presentation?" 4. Who will be the project leader on this program? Please provide their name and a couple of short sentences on their experience working in education. The project leader will be Kendra Cope, the HCP/Sea Turtle Coordinator for IRC. She created the presentation that is currently being given to 5th classrooms, she made the original contacts with the school teachers and principals, and has made new contacts with a couple private schools in the county interested in including sea turtle curriculum during the 16/17 school year. Her background is with general public education programs. Her MS thesis analyzed the community impacts (economic and long-term education/behavior) of the popular turtle walks. She is also starting a new program in IRC during the 2016 nesting season called "Turtle Digs". Nest evaluations in the City of Vero beach will now be a public program which includes a presentation and an up close opportunity for guests to watch sea turtle researchers and volunteers collect data on reproductive success of sea turtle nests in the area. 5. This program can take time to get started but will last for years to come. Is the project manager willing to commit the time to creating the trunk contents, developing relationships with schools, maintaining the trunk's contents, and liaising with teachers? The project leader is a full-time employee with IRC and her position manages sea turtle nesting and other sea turtle activity outlined by the HCP. She plans to be in this position long-term. As part of the Sea Turtle Program she manages a large group of dedicated volunteers which has grown from 8-15 people in the last year and will continue to grow in coming years. There will be plenty of volunteers available to help create the trunk contents, a handful of them already have experience with presenting at schools and are dedicated to keeping good relations with currently involved schools, and the volunteers will be happy to help build a foundation for this new program. The project leader will be responsible for maintaining the trunk contents over time and all contents will be stored in the county office with other education materials used for various programs. She will also continue to keep relations with the teachers and is dedicated to building relations with the school district board and private school teachers so all students in IRC have an opportunity to learn more about sea turtle conservation and biology. 184